Originally Published MD&DI July 2009
FROM THE EDITORS
Nanotechnology Is No Small Matter to Diagnostic Devices
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The medical device industry is on the cusp of change. Healthcare reform is just around the corner, and advances in technology—particularly nanotechnology—are enabling the development of revolutionary devices. One person who is leading the way is Chad Mirkin, director of Northwestern University’s International Institute for Nanotechnology and winner of the 2009 $500,000 Lemelson-MIT prize. Mirkin is slated to accept the prize and present his accomplishments at Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the Lemelson-MIT Program’s third-annual EurekaFest, June 25–27.
Mirkin is a prolific inventor and entrepreneur, and his innovations have the potential to transform the future of medical diagnostics and patient point-of-care options. He is known for the invention, development, and commercialization of a revolutionary diagnostic technology—the nanoparticle-based medical diagnostic assays underlying the FDA-approved Verigene ID system. Mirkin has commercialized many nanoparticle-based medical diagnostic assays through Nanosphere Inc. (Northbrook, IL), leading to the development of the Verigene ID system. This biodiagnostic system can test patients for several different disease targets at the same time, on-site in a research laboratory, a hospital, or doctor’s office, in less than an hour.
The molecules circulating in the human bloodstream can provide early warning signs of disease. However, it is difficult to understand the identities of these molecules using currently available diagnostic tools. Mirkin’s highly precise method of identifying low concentrations of disease-signifying molecules addresses this problem.
“In the case of proteins, the test can be thousands of times more sensitive than any commercial protein-detection system out there and has the power to revolutionize medical diagnosis,” Mirkin said in a release.
According to the Lemelson-MIT Program, one of the most promising applications of this nanoparticle-based technology is in Alzheimer’s disease treatment. Mirkin’s test has the potential to evaluate living patients for Alzheimer’s by detecting very low concentrations of the protein associated with the disease, enabling early intervention and potential treatment.
Mirkin’s work with nanostructures made of gold has led to the founding of Aurasense, a company focused on developing a novel class of nanotherapeutics that are nontoxic and extremely effective in gene regulation for application in oncology and heart disease.
Another technology addresses the challenge of printing on the nanoscopic scale. For this, Mirkin invented Dip-Pen Nanolithography (DPN), which was licensed by NanoInk and marketed as Nscriptor. It can be used to print features of proteins, DNA, and other biological materials on surfaces with sub-50-nm resolution. Applications include highly miniaturized polymer- and molecular-based electronics.
DPN technology has become a novel research tool, allowing scientists to better understand how cells interact with surfaces and function, the chemical and physical consequences of miniaturization, and how structures—including individual viruses—behave at the single particle level. This information can help researchers learn how viruses infect cells. It can tell them the chemical and physical differences between healthy and cancerous cells or may help them discover the genetic code associated with a new flu virus. Such important discoveries could lead to new therapeutics and diagnostics.
Mirkin’s latest lithography invention is designed to cover a larger surface area. This polymer-pen lithography uses millions of polymer-based tips. Its commercial applications include the development of medical diagnostics such as gene chips, pharmaceutical discovery, and combinatorial biomolecule arrays for screening drug candidates.
Nanotechnology is contributing to the blending of drugs, devices, and biologics like never before. If you aren’t already investigating this tiny but powerful technology, now might be a good time to explore its possibilities.
Sherrie Conroy for the Editors
Copyright ©2009 Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry
